Thursday, January 7, 2010

I'm re-posting here a letter for help from the Toronto Women's Bookstore that they released over the holidays. Thought I'd put it up here any case anyone still comes across this blog and can offer a helping hand to a struggling but important independent bookstore in Toronto. See the TWB's plea below:

Dear TWB community,

The Toronto Women's Bookstore is in crisis and we need your help!

Independent businesses and bookstores have been closing their doors thisyear, and after 36 years it is possible that we will have to do the same ifwe are not able to raise enough money to survive. TWB is one of the onlyremaining non-profit feminist bookstores in North America, but despite allof the events, courses, workshops, community resources and additionalservices we offer, the fact that we are a store means that we do not receiveany outside funding and rely entirely on sales and the support of ourcustomers to stay in business.

Over the past few years, our sales have not been enough to sustain us andthis is why we are coming to you, our community, for help. If every one ofyou donated $10 we would raise enough to keep going for 3 months, $20 eachwould keep us in business for 6 months, and $30 each would be enough for usto keep our doors open, hopefully for good. All donations will go directlytowards covering the bookstore's costs, and are a part of a larger plan ofaction and structural change to make the business sustainable in the currenteconomy.

In the past, when feminist bookstores were closing down all across NorthAmerica, the support of the community is what kept TWB alive. You are thereason that we are still here today, and we believe that with your help wecan once again work together to save this organization where so many of usas readers, writers, feminists, artists, and activists have found a home.

You can make donations over the phone, on our websitewww.womensbookstore.com (paypal link available soon), or in person at thestore. As a non-profit store we are not eligible for charitable status andcannot offer tax receipts, but we are hoping to be able to offer taxreceipts for donations over $100 in collaboration with a non-profit charitywho shares our mandate, and we will have that information available on ourwebsite and in store as soon as possible.

You can also help by spreading the word to your friends and community,contacting us if you know of any funding we might be eligible for, promotingthis fundraising drive in your paper or on your blog, website or radio show,organizing your own save the bookstore fundraisers or just passing the hatat your holiday parties, giving a TWB donation as a gift, and of course,coming in and bringing all your friends to the store for some holidayshopping!